Nothing but Trouble
by 4everbrisingr
Summary: That's what she is. Trouble. If it weren't for her, he wouldn't be caught up in this whole Shinigami mess. But he couldn't really say he was complaining. IchiRuki. Drabble-ish.
1. Chapter 1: Closet

Nothing but Trouble

Ichigo x Rukia

Disclaimer: I'm not Tite Kubo, therefore I don't own Bleach.

A/N: You know, it weirds me out when I start writing a random fic like this. I mean, I like IchiRuki (better than IchiHime), but it's not something I'd normally write. *sigh* Oh well. My mind's inner workings don't like to make sense, not even to me.

And this is really in celebration of finishing my first AP exam (hooray, hooray!) Another one next week, but whatever. I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

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><p><span>1: Closet<span>

_It really is a pain, _Ichigo Kurosaki decided, _to have a girl living in your closet. _He sighed to himself as he carried a tray of steaming food back up to his room, ignoring curious questions from his family members. Down in the dining room, Isshin could be heard saying, "Now, girls, Ichigo is a growing boy, he needs his food! How else is he going to grow up big and strong like his father?" Ichigo rolled his eyes at the statement and entered his bedroom, knocking quietly on the closet door to alert Rukia of his presence. No answer. That was strange. Usually Rukia would open up the door and grab the food right away, but… he knocked again. Still no answer. Now that was really strange. Ichigo tilted his head to the side, contemplating what to do. Should he open the door and risk facing Rukia's wrath (God knows what she could possibly be doing in there) or just leave the food by the door and hope she came out eventually? Then again, she could've left the house entirely, but wouldn't she at least let him know that she was leaving? _Maybe not, _he thought. _That midget never tells me anything. _He stood there for a few more seconds, then decided to try the door. Too bad if she got mad at him; she had to eat sometime, right? And what if she was in trouble? At least, that's what Ichigo told himself as he slid the closet door open soundlessly, only to stop and stare in shock. Rukia was curled up on her makeshift bed, fast asleep. No wonder she hadn't heard him knocking. Ichigo shook his head, smiling to himself. He would let the girl sleep; she needed her rest. Dinner could wait. Setting the tray down on a nearby table, Ichigo slid the door closed and started his homework.


	2. Chapter 2: Carton

2: Carton

"Wait, so how exactly does this work again?" Rukia asked, holding up the thin plastic tube in one hand and the carton in the other.

Ichigo rolled his eyes and snatched the carton and straw away from her. "Idiot. I told you before; you stick the straw right here." He demonstrated, jabbing the plastic tube into the little foil seal, and then handed the juice carton back to her.

Rukia glared at him as she took a sip of her juice. "Shut up, Ichigo."

"Yeah, Ichigo!" Keigo chimed in. "You're being so mean to Rukia, and she's new here too!" He gave a dramatic wail and threw his arms around the petite dark-haired girl protectively. Rukia promptly pushed him off of her, while Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"Not my fault she can't open a juice box."

Next thing he knew, he was lying flat on the ground with a certain dark-haired midget on top of him, her violet eyes dangerous. "Ichigo…" Rukia raised the juice box.

Ichigo's eyes widened. "Hey, what…?" He was cut off by a well-aimed spurt of apple juice in the face, as the rest of his friends doubled over laughing.


	3. Chapter 3: Protective

A/N: I haven't been feeling particularly inspired for this drabble set lately, so this one is really short. But it gets the point across.

3: Protective

He still remembered the first Hollow he had fought, the one who had tried to kill him and his family. The one who had almost killed Rukia. The one who had hurt Karin and Yuzu, the one who had made his sister bleed.

He would never forgive it for putting his family in danger.

And he never wanted to see any of its kind put anyone else in danger.

But it wasn't until she had dragged him out of school that one day, when she had shown him what the Hollows really did, that he decided to take on the role as a protector. She had shown him that they could show up at any given moment and hurt anyone, whether they were helpless bystanders or Shinigami. That was when he had seen the terror in the young boy's eyes, and seen what others―those who weren't able to defend themselves―saw.

He had seen that Hollows could—and would hurt anyone they wished to.

But she had made him realize that he could save lives—not all of them, but some—and keep people safe.

And so he had made a vow to protect anyone he could, and he was going to keep that promise, no matter what it took.


End file.
